Photo: The CounterThe Counter Burger
The house burger and a good argument for letting someone else choose. Provolone, sautéed mushrooms, crispy onion strings and garlic aioli on a brioche bun: savoury, crunchy and a bit indulgent. It is one of the biggest burgers on the menu by calories, so this is not a light lunch.
The story
The Counter opened in Santa Monica in 2003 with no menu at all — a clipboard and a pencil instead, and a checklist of proteins, cheeses, toppings, sauces and buns running into millions of combinations. GQ put it on a list of hamburgers to eat before you die in 2006 and the idea spread fast. The house burger is the concession to everyone that arithmetic exhausted: somebody in the kitchen made the twenty decisions already, and the clipboard is still there if you disagree.
What’s inside
- angus beef
- provolone
- tomatoes
- lettuce blend
- fried onion strings
- sautéed mushrooms
- garlic aioli
- brioche bun
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the The Counter Burger yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, mushrooms and cheese
Portobello Mushroom Burgers - Shares beef, crispy onions and cheese
X-Cell-Ent Burger - Shares beef, mushrooms and cheese
French Onion Burgers - Shares beef, crispy onions and cheese
Copycat Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ Burger with Onion Straws
Variations
The The Counter Burger, taken somewhere it was never meant to go.
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the The Counter Burger.- MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes · beef, mushrooms, crispy onions and cheese
Mushroom Swiss Burger - Burger Lounge · beef, mushrooms, crispy onions and cheese
Truffle Mushroom-Swiss Burger - Black Star Burger · beef, mushrooms, crispy onions and cheese
SignatureVIP 13 - Eddie Rocket's · beef, mushrooms, crispy onions and garlic
The M50
More from The Counter
About The Counter
Jeff Weinstein opened The Counter in Santa Monica in 2003 with one gimmick that turned out to be a very good idea: instead of a menu, you get a clipboard and a pencil. You tick your protein, cheese, toppings, sauce and bun from a checklist, and the combinations run into the millions.
Restaurants across the US, with franchises abroad. Headquartered in Culver City, California.
Not affiliated with The Counter. Trademarks belong to their owners. The photo is credited under it and is used to illustrate this menu item; it comes down on request.